Package for discoidal bottle caps



April 30, 1935. w. 5. LEE 1,999,879

PACKAGE FOR DISCOIDAL BOTTLE CAPS Filed April 5, 1954 IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. v I

STATES PATENT momma non DISCOIDAL BOTTLE oars William S. Lee, Los Angeles, flail!" minor to Oswego Falls Corporation, Fulton, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 5, 1934. Serial No. liaise Claims. (Cl. 208-48) This invention relates to packages for disshipped, have had their ends rolled, or crimperi, coidal bottle caps, as milk bottle caps, and has inward, and the dairymen tore ofl the inwardly for its object a tubular package in which the rolled portion, or crimp, and the tearing off recaps are easily placed, or fed, at the factory, and sulted in a ragged edge which, unless care was in which they may be stored and shipped, and taken, formed an obstruction to the feeding of 5 also a package which can be used as a magathe caps out of the tube when the tube was placed zine in a milk bottle capping machine without in the magazine holder 02 the machine. transferring the caps from the package, and in The invention consists in the novel features which the caps are visible when the tube is being and in the combinations and constructions hereiO used as a magazine in a capping machine, whereinafter set forth and claimed.

by it may be readily seen whether the caps are In describing this lnventionf reference is had feeding properly, and the number in the packto the accompanyi drawing in Which like charage at any particular time. acters designate corresponding parts in all th It also has for its object, a package for a cap Views.

i5 of the type having a tab extending radially be- Figure 1 is a fragmentary, perspective view of yond the peripheral edge of the cap on which this packase Wi h he p h v redi l b package no other covering, or wrapping, for the therein.

caps is necessary, to be removed from the package Fi u 2 i a V r al, onal Vi w s win prior to using the caps in the capping machine, h u app ied to h m zine holder of a :0 although the filled tube is, or may be, kept or bottle capping mac ine. the sealing means at one shipped in cartons enclosing the tubes. end being removed. and e Steps displaced 1 It further h for it j t, a package for ward from their normal position into position to bottle caps having radially extending tabs, coneeaet Wi h he pp r edge of th m ine heider sisting of t b in which t caps tt t t to limit the movement of the tube into the holder.

are placed, the tube being formed with a length- Figure 3 is a fr m ary n e at on f e 25 wise h t th which t t t slightly modified form of one end of the tubular It further has for its object, a tube for caps eohtainerprovided, and unprovided, with'radially extending While this package is p r y useful n tabs, which tube is usable as a magazine in a connection with the handling nd us Of' h i0 capping machine, and is provided with stops for diseoidel bottle cells h v n a r i y extending tm t movement of t t t t magtab, they are also very desirable in connection 'azlne homer of a n; capping machine, which with the use of the ordinary discoidal bottle caps stop means 15 so located as to also anne the tube without tabs, 01 with tabs located in the diSCOidfl-l with the caps therein, with the magazine holder portion o the can. as w be e d y obv ous a 5 of the capping. machine, the description of theinvention proceeds.

It further has for its object, a tube in which The bottle 99 shown in Figure e of the the stop means is in the form of tabs struck from type having a diseeidai body portion A, and a t B t body of the t and normally lying m textending radially beyond the peripheral edge of dent with the tube and knocked out, or pulled the body, and Usually extending from h D 10 out, into angular position to the tube to serve rinhersl edge. in contradistinction to extending 40 as stops from within the peripheral edge to beyond said- It further has for t object a tube for e edge. Heretofore, caps of this character-have with, and without, radially extending tabs havbeen ii/rapped in Paper and when so P i ing readily removable sealing means at one end Placed m a 1 tube for shipping- The dairyi5 which can be removed without mutilating, or in using such bottle caps with the tabs tearing, the end of the tube which is inserted in removed them {mm the Wrapping and Placed the magazine holder of the capping machine, and them in the magazine of the milk bottle Capping thus avoiding inadvertent contracting of the end machine- Ordinarily diswidal caps Withmlt P of the tube due to a ragged edge when the tube ripheiei t are pp in a tube W h t is inserted in the magazine holder and thereby dairymen can Placein the capping machine i 50 furthe avoiding clogging of the t when out transferring from the tube to a magazine, a ing as a magazine, and obstructing of the feedh cells n m r ly be emptied Out f the ing of the caps from the tube to the capping tube into the tubular magazine of the machine, machine. and one of the principal objects of this invention Heretofore the tubes, in which the caps are is a package for a cap having a peripheral tab, 55

which can be shipped in a package usable as a magazine, or a package in which the caps with tabs. is merely emptied into the magazine in much the same manner as with the tubes now used for caps without tabs. It is, however, preferable to use the package as a magazine both when caps with, and without, tabs are used.

This tube possesses the added advantage of permitting visibility of the caps in the tube whereby the operator of the capping machine can tell at a glance how the caps are feeding into the machine, and what quantity remain in the tube at a given instance.

This package for discoidal bottle caps com-' prises a tube 1 formed with a lengthwise slot 2 usually opening through at least one end thereof, the slot being of such width to slidably receive the tabs B, when caps with peripheral tabs are used, or through which the tabs B project, and the diameter of the tube being approximately the same as the discoidal body A of the caps, or of such diameter that the caps slidably feed therein, so that they will readily slide into the tube, and the tabs slide in the slot, at the factory where the caps are manufactured, and will also readily feed out of the tube, when the tube is mounted as a magazine in a bottle capping machine, or when emptied in the magazine of a capping machine.

Usually, the slot extends through both ends of the tube, and when the caps are placed therein, the ends of the tube'are sealed in any suitable manner. Preferably, the lower end of the tube, or package, is sealed by the strip 23 secured over the ends of the tube. The opposite end may also be sealed in like manner, but is preferably sealed by crimping, or rolling, inwardly the end of the tube, as at l. These seals are effective to avoid confusion as to which end of the tube should be inserted in the magazine holder of the capping machine. It will be understood that the caps usually bear printing on one side thereof and accordingly, the package, or tube, must be so placed in the magazine holder of the machine that the caps. are applied to the bottles with the printed side up.

Preferably, the slot is formed by splitting the tube from end to end, expanding the tube, or letting it expand by its own resiliency, thereby separating the edges at opposite sides of the split sufficiently to form the slot 2, and in order that the interior of-the expanded tube may substantially conform as to size and shape to the periphery of the discoidal body of the caps. In this instance, the tube is initially formed of slightly less diameter than that of the caps and expanded, or allowed to expand after being split, to substantially the diameter of the discoidal'caps in order that the caps may be readily fed thereinto, and also feed out of the same. The sealing means holds the split tube from undue expansion, and retains the caps in the tube during handling of the same.

As seen in Figure 3, the slitting, or slotting, may terminate short of the outer, or upper, end of the tube, or the and remote from the strip closure, as at 5. In this instance, the tube is initially formed with the proper diameter to receive the caps, and a strip is cut out of one side of the tube to form the slot 2. In view of the fact that the slot 2 terminates short of the upper end of the tube, that end of the tube is more rigid, and the tube is more easily handled and filled. The end of the tube is sealed preferably by crimping, or turning in,

in the same manner as when the slot extends the entire length of the tube, the lower end of the tube being sealed with the strip 3.

B designates the magazine holder of a capping machine and into which one end of the tube constituting the package is inserted. These holders are provided with angular shoulders 1 against which the ends of the tube, when used as a magazine, squarely abut although, it is not necessary that they actually abut against the shoulder-1, they should be square therewith in order to insure a proper feeding of the cap out of the magazine tube. If the end of the magazine tube is ragged, or uneven, the operator is quite likely to insert the tube too far, or because of the ragged edge, a portion thereof is liable to bend inwardly, either condition resulting in obstructing the feeding of the caps from the tube. The sealing strip 3 can be readily removed without mutilating the magazine tube, and the liability of mislocating the tube in the magazine holder, is eliminated.

In order to also insure the proper location of the package when used as a magazine tube in the magazine holder 6 of a capping machine, stop means, self contained with the tube, are provided for coacting with the upper edge of the mega-- zine holder 6, which stop means normally is part of the tube, or continuous therewith, and is foldable outwardly into a position whereby it serves as a stop by engaging the upper edge of the holder 6.

As here shown, this stop means consists of diametrically opposite tabs 8 struck from the body of the tube i, and normally lying flush with the body of the tube l and being foldable into angular position, as shown in Figure 2, where they act as stops by engaging the upper edge of the magazine holder 6. These tabs are so located relatively to the end of the tube as to coast with the magazine holder Gwhen the lower end of the tube engages the shoulder l, or slightly before the lower end of the tube reaches the shoulder I.

In operation, the dairyman removes the tube from the carton in which it is shipped, tears oil the sealing strip 3 and pulls out the tabs 8 and inserts the end of the tube, which is provided with the sealing strip, into the magazine holder 6, the stops 8 limiting the movement therein and preventing the tube from being inserted too far into the holder 6 to such a depth that the lower end thereof will pass beyond the shoulder i and be contracted into such a small circle as to grip the disk and prevent the feeding thereof, or in case of a slotted tube, to such an extent as to cause the sides of the slot to grip the caps. Owing to the fact that the upper end of the tube is crimped, or rolled, the dairymen can not inadvertently get the tube in upside down. Owing to the rolled margin 4, at the outer end of the tube l, the dairymen can readily see the disks with the printed sides up. Also, owing to the slot 2, during the feeding, the disks are always visible, and it is readily apparent to the operator whether or not the disks are feeding properly.

This package for caps of the type having radial tabs is particularly advantageous in that the caps may be packed therein as economically as discoidal caps without tabs can be packed in tubes, and also the tubes with the caps with the tabs packed therein can be used as a magazine in the capping machine, thus making caps with tabs which project beyond the peripheral edge as economical in manufacture, packing and applying to the bottle, as the conventional discoidal cap without tabs extending beyond their peripheral edges.

What I claim is: a 1

Y 1. A package for discoidal bottle caps comprising atube formed with a slot extending lengthwise thereof, a plurality of caps stacked within the tube, each of said caps having a peripheral tab extending through said slot, the tube being provided with means at each end to prevent displacement of the caps during shipment.

2. A package for discoidal bottle caps comprising a tube open at one end and being provided witha slot extending lengthwise of the tube, a plurality of bottle caps stacked within the tube, each of said caps having a peripheral tab extending through the slot oi the tube, and a removable sealing strip at the open end of the tube and being removable without mutilating the edge of the tube.

3. A package for discoidal bottle caps comprising a tube formed with a slot extending lengthwise thereof, a plurality of caps stacked within the tube, each of said caps having a peripheral tab extending-through the slot of the tube, the tube being provided with stop means for limiting the insertion oi the tube in a magazine holder 01' a bottle capping machine, and means to prevent displacement of the caps from the tube during shipment.

4. A package for discoidal bottle caps comprising a tube provided with a slot extending lengthwise thereof, a plurality of caps stacked within the tube, each of said caps being provided with a radially extending tab projecting through said slot, said tube being provided with stop means for limiting the insertion of the tube in a magazine holder of a bottle capping machine, said stop means normally lying along the wall of the body of the tube and being foldable outwardly into a position at an angle to the tube, and means for preventing displacement of the caps from the tube during shipment.

5. A package for discoidal bottle caps comprising a fibrous tube provided with a slot extending lengthwise thereof, a plurality 01' caps stacked in the tube, each of said caps being provided with a peripheral tab extending through the slot, one end of said tube being crimped over to prevent displacement of the caps, and the other end of the tube being provided with a removable sealing strip removable without mutilating the edge of the tube.

WELIAMS. LEE. 

